Ellen Byerrum, author of the Crime of Fashion Mysteries
MLC: Do you remember the first mystery you ever read? If so, what was it, and what pulled you into it?
AUTHOR: I don’t remember what it was, but I’m pretty sure it was a Nancy Drew. I didn’t have any of my own, but luckily a friend of mine had a whole shelf full of them. However, I believe every good story is a mystery, no matter what the genre.
MLC: When did you first decide you wanted to write a mystery, and what led you to that decision?
AUTHOR: It’s hard to say when I decided to write mysteries, but in the sixth grade we had to write a story, and mine had a plot unmasking a spy. So I guess you could consider that my first mystery. I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was 11. Before that it was a toss-up between writer and actress.
MLC: Do you write in any other genres? If so, which ones?
AUTHOR: I also write plays, under the pen name “Eliot Byerrum.” Two of them, A Christmas Cactus and Gumshoe Rendezvous, are published by Samuel French Inc.
MLC: Which comes first for you, the plot or the characters?
AUTHOR: The characters come first. From their actions come the plot.
MLC: When you are all wrapped up in the story, do you feel like you could solve the crime, or maybe even solve all the world’s mysteries?
AUTHOR: There are days I can hardly solve the mystery of where I put my keys, so I’d have to say no.
MLC: Do you write every day, or what kind of a schedule do you have? Do you write fulltime, or do you have a “day job”?
AUTHOR: My day job as a reporter for a trade publisher in Washington, D.C., keeps me pretty busy. It’s hard to find the time to write. Ideally, I like to write every day. It doesn’t always happen that way. Let’s just say I’m glad there’s no reality television series on what it takes to be a mystery writer. There would be an excessive amount of the author staring blankly into space. But seriously, tenacity and “butt glue,” the ability to just sit down and stick to it, are the keys to finishing a novel.
MLC: Other than your writing, what do you enjoy doing? What is the most important thing to you in your day-to-day life?
AUTHOR: Enjoying time with my husband is the most important thing. With him, I enjoy taking walks, sitting on the sofa reading, going to the movies, going to the theatre. Seeing friends. Alas, there is never enough time.
MLC: Who are your favorite mystery authors? Do you try to emulate them in your own writing?
AUTHOR: Raymond Chandler will always be a favorite because of his wonderful way with language and setting. Elizabeth Peters is another favorite, for her amazing humor and characters. There are many others, too many to list. And while I enjoy other writers, I really try to write with my own voice rather than emulating others.
MLC: In your present book, is this part of a series, or is it a standalone book?
AUTHOR: My latest book, RAIDERS OF THE LOST CORSET, is part of the Crime of Fashion mystery series, featuring fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian.
MLC: If you are doing a series, do you see an end to it sometime, or do you plan to go on for several years with it?
AUTHOR: For the time being I’m pretty happy writing about Lacey and her pals.
MLC: Do your characters ever drive you a bit crazy by going off in their own direction? If so, how do you rein them in, or do you just let them run off on their own?
AUTHOR: When they go off in their own directions, that’s the best possible thing, I think. I love it when they surprise me. It usually happens because the story requires it and the characters know it but the author hasn’t caught on yet. I also believe that no matter how diligently you have constructed a plot or an outline, if the story and the characters have some chemistry they will take off in new directions and make the story better. If you’ve built good characters they want better parts, or as they say in the theatre, “louder, faster and funnier.”
MLC: Do you pattern your sleuths after yourself or someone you know? If so, do you let that person know they were your “pattern”?
AUTHOR: Some people think there’s some of me in Lacey. I find that the people who really lent some elements to a character or the story never suspect they’re in there. And other people you never even dreamed of working into the story believe they are. I find this funny.
MLC: How long did it take you to get published? How many rejections did you have to suffer through first? Were you ever tempted to give up? What do you think made the difference when it was accepted?
AUTHOR: The first novel I wrote was accepted for publication and I was offered a three-book deal. However, I had written plays for a good 10-15 years before that and, of course, suffered much rejection. I can honestly say that getting a three-book deal was easier than having a play produced. Was I tempted to give up? Every other day, no doubt. What made the difference? The skills I learned as a playwright and a reporter: listening to what people say and how they say it, thinking in terms of writing scenes with rising action and climax, working on giving all the important characters their own unique voices.
MLC: Do you ever attend any conferences? If so, which ones?
AUTHOR: Malice Domestic in the Washington area is on my calendar every spring. I have also attended the Virginia Festival of the book, Bouchercon, Left Coast Crime, and some smaller conferences. I also spoke at the Valley Bookfest in Roanoake, Va., which is sponsored by the Roanoke Public Libraries.
MLC: Do you have to promote your own work, or does your publisher do that for you?
AUTHOR: My publisher manages to place my books in all the book stores, for which I am truly grateful. And I have great covers, so I have been very lucky. But all authors have to promote our own books whenever we can.
MLC: If you have to do marketing, what methods have worked the best for you?
AUTHOR: I couldn’t say what works best, but what I enjoy most is the personal contact, meeting fans and potential fans in bookstores at signings and at conferences. I also have a Web site, designed and maintained by my overworked yet amazing husband Bob Williams. And I also promote with a group of other chick lit mystery writers at www.themysterychicks.com.
MLC: Do you have any idea how your book is selling?
AUTHOR: That’s a really difficult question. You should probably ask my publisher.
MLC: What has been the best review you have gotten, and why?
AUTHOR: That’s another tough one. There have been some very good ones. The best review is usually the one I’m reading at the time.
MLC: Have you won any awards, either as an author or for your books? Please tell us about them.
AUTHOR: I have many wonderful friends who have won awards, and I am very happy for them. KILLER HAIR was named a Barnes & Noble Editor’s Pick and Best of 2003 Staff Favorite. It was also nominated for Best First Mystery of 2003 by Romantic Times.
MLC: Is there any one certain thing that a reader has written to you that made you just want to jump up and shout “Yes!!!!”?
AUTHOR: Whenever someone e-mails me and tells me they enjoy the books so much they couldn’t put them down and have ignored the housework, I say hooray!
MLC: What is your next project, and when will it be out?
AUTHOR: RAIDERS OF THE LOST CORSET is the fourth book in the Crime of Fashion series, and it will be in bookstores July 5. I am now working on the fifth book in the series.
MLC: If you could write anything at all, ignoring what editors and publishers say they want, what would it be?
AUTHOR: When I write I really don’t pay attention to what they say they want. How are you going to find your own unique voice if you’re so busy trying to follow the trends? I say, write what you want to write. I just don’t have the time to write everything I want to. That is not to say that I don’t listen to editing suggestions, I do.
MLC: Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring mystery authors?
AUTHOR: Keep at it and ignore the naysayers.
MLC: Do you have any teasers for your readers and fans about the next book?
AUTHOR: Here’s a teaser for RAIDERS OF THE LOST CORSET: Ms. Smithsonian goes to Paris! Washington fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian grabs the chance of a lifetime to see Paris, the fashion capital of the world—and chase the fashion story of the century. Her fabulous quarry: a legendary Romanov corset lined with jewels, stolen from a dead princess and lost since the Russian Revolution. Pursued by spies and jewel thieves, Lacey and her “raiders of the lost corset” unravel a bloody thread of clues, from Washington to France and New Orleans’ French Quarter. But an elusive killer is drawing the laces ever tighter, as danger and romantic complications lurk behind every twist in Lacey’s trail.
MLC: If a genie suddenly appeared and said they would grant you just one wish for your books, what would you wish for?
AUTHOR: Readers who love Lacey, and a movie deal (of course).
MLC: Please give us your website url and your email address where people can contact you.
AUTHOR: My Web site is www.ellenbyerrum.com. I can be reached at laceysmithsonian@yahoo.com And thanks so much for asking!
MLC: Thank you so much for giving us a little glimpse
into your books and your life. We look forward to a lot more books from
you.
Thank you!